Elon is also named the nation's #1 "best-run college" in the 2013 edition of the Princeton Review college guide.
In responding to a survey, Elon students told The Princeton Review that the essence of the university is about “big-school opportunities with a small-school community.”
“The Best 377 Colleges,” is one of the top-selling college guides, profiling only about 15 percent of the nation’s four-year colleges. The guide includes ranking lists of top-20 schools in 62 categories. In addition to its #1 rankings in study abroad and the “best-run” colleges category, Elon ranks #19 in the “best college theatre programs” category.
The lists are entirely based on The Princeton Review’s survey of 122,000 students (about 324 per campus on average) attending the colleges in the book and not on The Princeton Review’s opinion of the schools. The 80-question survey asks students to rate their own schools on several topics and report on their campus experiences at them.
Elon students said their “personable” and “engaging” professors are both “enthusiastic about their fields and helping students.” They also praised the campus culture. “I felt an instant comfort when I stepped on campus,” said one student. “At other schools I really felt like a visitor, but at Elon I felt like I belonged there.”
Elon students described themselves as “highly motivated, driven and engaged.” The Princeton Review writes that “on this ‘hardworking’ campus, you’ll find students are ‘passionate about their studies’ and ‘take their scholarship very seriously.'”
Elon students in the survey gave high marks to the university’s computer facilities, the low cost of living and the availability of internship opportunities.
In its “Inside Word” section, Princeton Review notes that Elon has become increasingly competitive for admissions. “To be successful, it’s important to have chosen a rigorous high school curriculum … In addition, admissions officers seek out students who have demonstrated leadership savvy.”
Elon ranks #17 in the “financial aid not so great” category, underscoring the importance of the university’s strategic goal of expanding philanthropy and increasing need-based scholarships.
This is the 10th year in a row that Elon has appeared in the Princeton Review’s “Best Colleges” guide.
The Princeton Review’s “Best-Run Colleges” list includes the following:
1. Elon University
2. Rice University
3. Claremont McKenna College
4. University of Southern California
5. Washington University in St. Louis
6. Pomona College
7. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
8. Stanford University
9. U.S. Coast Guard Academy
10. Bowdoin College
11. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
12. Kansas State University
13. Princeton University
14. Georgia Institute of Technology
15. Clemson University
16. Brigham Young University
17. Whitman College
18. Wheaton College
19. Yale University
20. Wofford College
The Princeton Review has posted the school profiles and ranking lists in “The Best 377 Colleges” at PrincetonReview.com. The Princeton Review (www.PrincetonReview.com) is an education services company known for its test-prep courses, tutoring, books, and other student resources. Headquartered in Framingham, MA, the Company is not affiliated with Princeton University.